This invention relates to sporting equipment and more particularly to a sporting apparatus suited for fishing and hunting.
The general objective of the present invention is to provide a supporting apparatus that can serve as an improved fishing reel holder that can be used for any kind of fishing but is particularly well suited for ice fishing, i.e., fishing on a frozen lake through an opening in the ice. While fishing devices have been previously proposed for this purpose, the fisherman often becomes uncomfortable because there is no place to sit and the fishing equipment is of no assistance in this regard. One object of the invention is thus to provide a fishing reel holder that can also be used as a seat for the fisherman.
Prior fishing equipment is not well suited for supporting a conventional fishing rod as well as a separate ice fishing reel. Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a fishing reel holder that can be used for simultaneously supporting a fishing reel of the kind used for ice fishing as well as a conventional fishing rod.
Another object is to provide a way of supporting a fishing reel holder in any of several positions, e.g., horizontally close to the surface of the ice, on the ground at the edge of a lake, or in a vertical position mounted on a wall, e.g., the inside wall of a fish house, at various angles.
A further object is to provide a reel holder with a warning or alarm system that can be used to signal the presence of a fish on the line but which can be removed if desired and used for other purposes such as hunting or even as a burglar alarm to indicate that a burglar has entered the fish house.
Yet another object is to provide a fishing reel holder that can serve as a table in a fish house for supporting various objects, e.g., beverage cups, etc., or can be used as a surface for cleaning and filleting fish.
Another object is to provide a fishing reel holder that serves as a tackle box.
Still another object is to provide an alarm that can be mounted in various positions for sensing and informing the fisherman of a fish on the line.
It is also an object to provide a support for an electronic alarm with an optional light switch for indicating the presence of fish or game.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fishing reel holder including an alarm with a motion detector that includes either a mechanical switch or a proximity switch for activating the alarm.
Yet another object is to provide a way of supporting the reel so as to enhance the oscillatory action of the lure.
Another object is to provide an apparatus suited for fishing that can also be used in hunting for supporting a firearm.
These and other more detailed and specific objects of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following figures and detailed description which illustrate by way of example but a few of the various forms of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.
This invention concerns sporting equipment, especially a reel holder for ice fishing which can be used without the reel for hunting. The fishing reel holder includes a planar supporting base. The planar base has a top surface and a bottom surface. A reel-supporting arm is provided with an attached end and a free end. At least one receptacle is provided on the upper surface of the base for supporting the attached end of the reel-supporting arm. An arm holder is located on the base so as to extend above the upper surface of the base for contacting an intermediate portion of the arm to hold the arm at an oblique angle with respect to the base. A reel for holding fishing line is rotatably supported on the free end of the arm so that by raising or lowering the arm holder, the angle of the reel-supporting arm can be changed with respect to the base. Alternatively, the reel can be supported through an opening at the center of the base. In a preferred form of the invention, the reel is coupled to a mechanical or electrical alarm. The base can preferably be used as a seat by being supported on an article such as a pail. The opening in the center of the base can also contain a tackle box for fishing lures and the like.
Another feature of the invention comprises the alarm per se which can be suspended from the base or be provided with its own support, e.g. a built-in tripod for suspending the alarm above a fishing hole in the ice with the reel adjacent to and operatively associated with the alarm for energizing the alarm when the reel is rotated. The alarm can also be supported on other articles such as a fishing rod which serves as a base and connected to the fishing so that a sudden pull on the line or deflection of the rod will set off the alarm.